Safety

Traditional approaches to public safety focus on fire protection, emergency-medical services and law enforcement. In this analysis, safety highlights public-health aspects that directly relate to aspects of the built environment, specifically addressing safety by reducing transportation-related crashes (i.e., reducing crashes between vehicle and vehicle or bike/pedestrian and vehicle), crime and overall violence. Because of its wide range of topics, safety can also be linked to health issues of physical activity, social capital and mental health.

Active Living Research: Tools and Measures
This Web site provides links to over fifteen urban design and park audit tools, produced by researchers from a variety of institutions, including the University of Minnesota, Harvard School of Public Health, and the University of Western Australia.

Design Guidelines for Active Michigan Communities
This document was designed to help Michigan communities integrate active living principles into their plans, policies and programs. It was created as part of Michigan’s Promoting Active Communities program, though its ideas can be useful to people and communities outside the state as well.

National Complete Streets Coalition
“Complete Streets” are designed and operated to enable safe access for all users. Pedestrians, bicyclists, motorists and bus riders of all ages and abilities are able to move safely along and across a complete street. This Web site provides a variety of resources and instructions on implementing complete streets policies in your communities.

InformeDesign is a research and communication tool for designers. Its search engine provides research summaries on many health themes. Each article summary has the following elements: design issue, design criteria, key concepts, research method, limitations, and commentary.